Fast Fat Burning Feeding Schedules

Over the years, I've sampled the delights of different intermittent fasting structures. As they began to bubble under the surface of the mainstream, I took a sip.

Not only did I want to see for myself, but I wanted to prod and poke holes in the ideas and beliefs and research to make sure we're not being sold an elixir.

Incidentally, I've already covered how fasting affects your body as opposed to a man's. Due to the fact that fasting is stressful on your body, if you push yourself too hard, you could damage your thyroid.

As a consequence, specialist doctors, such as Dr Nadolsky, continue to remind us that thyroid dysfunction is often a sign that the body is under stress. The thyroid gland slows production of the inactive hormone T4 that's normally converted into the active T3. However, the T4 that is produced can be converted into Reverse T3. Many dysfunctions can occur.

Given that our bodies can withstand varying levels of stress, then a prolonged hard-core fast might send your thyroid into a meltdown, whereas, I might be just fine. It's something to keep in mind.

And by the same token, prolonged fasting can elevate cortisol, known as the stress hormone. Therefore, adding pressure to your adrenals. So, if you're already stressed it might not be a good idea to start one of the more restricted fasts. A controlled 48-hour fasting study with young healthy females resulted in their cortisol levels elevated. It is possible fasting could create additional stress leading to chronic stress and side-effects.

While another study shows different results...

...Fasting decreased cortisol levels in subjects of one experiment. Actually, because cortisol's daily rise and fall are tied to a rumbling tummy, ghrelin being released, fasting slightly reduces ghrelin and therefore diminishes cortisol levels. Even though not feeling hungry might seem good, you could be contributing to adrenal fatigue by not eating enough.

Different strokes for different folks!

In short, it's safe to say intermittent fasting and the many forms out there effect different people in different ways. I believe it's best to structure your meals and fast around your natural structure. And maybe shock your body once and a while rather than force IF onto you because some "expert" offers weight loss and health benefits.

Most importantly, I know you'll have heard the saying "you can't outrun a bad diet". Nutrition is at the heart of good health. The nutrients are not only used to make energy for your body, but they are used to build and repair and heal and stimulate you too.

Therefore, intermittent fasting can change your body's cycles to help heal it and allow you to take from your fat stores... but if you're eating food combinations and quantities that promote fat storage and inflammation and congestion then IF simply will not work.

Under the circumstances when IF prevents your ability to eat large quantities of food, then weight loss will happen as long as the strategy fits with your body. And it is likely that when someone chooses to follow a plan, there are food rules and guides too. They are generally based on vegetables and lean meats and fish rather than chocolate, cake and crisps. This change also helps the body to burn excess fat and become healthier.

this is the real reason why studies show skipping breakfast is bad for you...

With the intention of gaining stimulation and increasing your health and/or losing weight... Which Intermittent Fasting style is best for you? You'll find the answer below.

10 Hour Munch

This is probably the most popular method in the fitness industry because it gets results... Made popular by the 8 Hour Diet and Leangains, if you want lean and sculpted muscles... Or if you want to bulk up, this style added to a specific exercise and nourishment routine will get the best out of you. They propose daily fasting gives the body time to process the food and use fat stores.

Although, the original time-restricted fasting 16/8 protocol had to be adapted for women because side-effects began to surface.

In reality, the adapted 14/10 design is our natural way of eating. If you count the hours between mealtimes in any culture, you're likely to get these numbers. In the UK, originally breakfast was around 7-8am and tea time was at 5-6pm. In the Mediterranean, breakfast time was between 9-10am and the last meal was around 7-8pm. Meals were eaten within a 10-hour window.

Only recently the times have changed. We're now eating from the moment we wake because we've been told we need to boost our metabolisms. We're eating throughout the day. Having dinner later in the evening and picking at foods before bed.

The typical way to follow this design is to have your dinner and then do not eat for 14 hours (16 hours for men). Effectively, you're...

...skipping modern breakfast time and fuelling your body with stimulants...

...from tea and coffee or riding it out with water.

An evolution of this method came from the Bulletproof Executive where he found that eating fats during a fast does not push your body out of the fasting cycle. Therefore, you can gain the benefits of fasting while not feeling overly hungry. Plus, Dave Asprey claims...

"Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting basically tells a woman’s body that it’s time for autophagy (cellular cleanup) and rapid fat loss (ketosis), but it preserves adrenal function more than normal IF. Since you’re actually using adrenal hormones (catecholamines) to burn fat, this *really matters* more for women. Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting also doesn’t send the epigenetic signal that you’re in a famine and should shut down your fertility."

"On top of that, the cold hands, brain fog, irritability and tiredness that come in the afternoon with traditional Intermittent Fasting don’t exist with Bulletproof IF. Our bodies were made to use fat for fuel – if there’s enough fat, we do well, and our hormones work, and we can still lose weight."

I'd add that you might need to be fat adapt to avoid other issues. I mean, if your diet has been carbohydrate based for some time then your body prioritises sugars over fats for energy and it could take a month or so for your body to truly use fat for fuel.

an extended fast can shock your body into doing some magical things

Overall, you can open the window whenever it suits your body... if you feel more comfortable eating breakfast early then crack that window open. Count 10 hours - that's when you close the window. However, if you simply cannot stomach breakfast until later in the day then open the kitchen then. Start feasting on a good break-fast. But keep in mind that your meal should be healthy and not junk filled with carbs and fats. Because this is the real reason why studies show skipping breakfast is bad for you... a bad meal choice! Close the kitchen 10 hours later.

The 2-day fast diet

It is said to be the most popular style. The 5:2 or fast diet offers an easier solution to counting calories. It was made famous by Dr Michael Mosley who went on a quest to find a solution to his diet-related health problems. Due to his journalism skills, he found scientists and research into the effects of nutrition and fasting and the impact it has on the body. With help from Prof Valter Longo the 5:2 principle was created.

The basic idea is to eat healthily, which should be 'normal', for five days and severely restrict calories for two days. The restricted calories you can eat has changed over the years... in your favour. Now you can have up to 800 calories. Some people struggle with the 500-600 calorie recommendation, therefore, eating a few hundred calories extra will not make a huge difference. Although, it seems to have increased because of some dieters participating in 5:2 style clinical trials reported an uncontrollable focus on food and a drive to eat. Not to mention feeling cold, a lack of energy, headaches and constipation.[1] The diet was unsustainable for them.

This causes a chain reaction and the true fasting begins.

However, if you decide to fast for two days of the week, make sure they are separated by a day or two of eating normally. Plus, you should aim for 500-700 calories on the fast days. Take into account your natural/goal calorie needs along with any mental issues that crop up to determine how much you eat.

Also, Dr Mosley advises protein being a big part of your limited calories because some amino acids are essential and needed every day. Plus, protein is satiating. In fact, choose filling ingredients that are high in fibre and protein and water. Avoid that junk food mix of carbs and fats because they'll only contribute to hunger feelings.

On your fast days, you can split your food into three small meal or two larger meals or simply one meal for the day. While you're fasting, your body is able to use stored energy and lower IGF-1, a marker for disease and ageing. Overall, you should end up slimmer and healthier following this schedule.

Just stop eating... then start again!

The 24 hour fast. Now we are getting into some serious fasting techniques... With Eat-Stop-Eat you begin to push your body into longer periods of fasting. By doing so, you'll not only have to take from your body's reserves of fats and carbs and maybe proteins too... kind of what you want to lose weight... but you will enter a lengthened repair cycle too.

As a result, an extended fast can shock your body into doing some magical things like enabling your immune system to recognise and kill cancer cells.[1, 2] To sprinkle your body with magic, the idea is to get into your repair cycle and stay there. Therefore, it takes about two hours for your stomach to empty - depending on what you've put into it - and six to eight hours for your intestines to stop absorbing nutrients. Then you'll be dependent on the nutrients flowing round your body and those stored away. This causes a chain reaction and the true fasting begins.

As for the Eat-Stop-Eat method, it asks you to fast for one or two days per week. Hold up, I know, it sounds worse than it actually is. It's actually pretty similar to the 5:2 diet. The difference is, on your fast days instead of being allocated allowed calories you skip meals. For example, if you normally eat three meals per day... and snack in between... you'd eat your last meal, go to bed, and then skip the next two meals, plus any snacks. Then you would break the fast with your final meal.

So in this case, you would fast from dinner to dinner time the following day. You could also fast from lunch to lunch or breakfast to breakfast - whichever suits you best. Initially, some get this wrong and see a 24 hour fast as absolutely not eating any of their meals for a day, such as eating Wednesday, do not eat on Thursday, then start eating again on Friday... That's a 36 hour fast!

Therefore, a 24 hour fast is not as bad as some imagine

Also, you can drink water during the fast... it's not a dry fast. Anything wet and non-calorific is OK. So black coffee and black teas are allowed, just skip the milk and sugar. Maybe you could take a leaf out of the bulletproof book and add fat to give you a boost if you need to. But remember, coconut oil and MCT oil and butter add energy for your body. And they hold a lot in a drop.

"...nothing like the experience women feel with continuous food restriction."

Additionally, do not fast for two consecutive days. And eat normally for a day or two in between to prevent freaking your body out and making life easier. Actually, Eat-Stop-Eat is not a strict regime that you have to live by, no, it is a technique you can use to help you get to where you would like to be. You can do it once a week or twice a week or every now and then when it suits you. The truth is, it can be difficult when you have other commitment and a social life. Life can get in the way and add stress.

For this reason, try Eat-Stop-Eat when you are relaxed and have nothing else important to do. Once you are used to fasting for extended periods you will better know your limits and know when you can and cannot fast.

Fast every other day

Eat today, not tomorrow. Eat the next, but not the day after. Wow, we're heading to the extremes. I couldn't sustain Alternate-Day Fasting. It sent me over the edge very quickly. Dr Michael Mosley sampled a form of this diet and didn't want to carry on. I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the suffering.

Maybe if you have a lot of fat to lose it might be a viable option to get you there, however, the human research does not show a significant advantage over daily restriction to lose weight.[1] A review of Alternate-Day Fasting doesn't show a benefit towards insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance for women. [1] And another study reveals no a positive impact on blood fats.[2] In fact, the disadvantages of intermittent fasting could increasingly crop up.

Nevertheless, some people are said to have good results no matter if they followed a low-fat or a low-carb diet.[1]

Less Hunger than Daily Calorie Restriction

To be brief, Alternate-Day Fasting can be done in a few ways... you can eat normally one day and fast the next with a restricted calorie intake just like the 5:2 diet, 500-700 calories. Or you can simply fast for 24 hours just like Eat-Stop-Eat, only you'd do it every other day. Other than that, you can push your body to the limit and eat one day, completely miss the next, and start again the following day... a 36 hour fast.

Again, you can drink calorie-free drinks. The liquid in your belly and a stimulant will help you get through. Hunger will come and go during a more extreme fast day but it will be nothing like the experience women feel with continuous food restriction.[1]

Overall, Alternate-Day Fasting has its issues with women. A more severe fasting system like this one is likely to cause problems over time. But, unlike calorie restriction diets, your metabolism will not be damaged. Meaning, 'Starvation Mode' will not creep up on you and stay with you for the future. Your metabolism could take an insignificant dip compared to strict dieting then it should bounce back again once you begin eating normally again.

On the whole, there isn't a strict food guideline, however, your meals should be based on sufficient protein and fibre and nutritiously packed ingredients.

Eat like a Warrior

A romanticised story turned into a diet, as the author describes... "It's largely based on the romantic notion of the warrior... Ancient warriors, actually. What I'm talking about is a way of life where, basically, the main goal is to follow your instinct." Ori Hofmekler is said to be one of the first to promote intermittent fasting. With that, The Warrior Diet became a best seller, nevertheless, there's still very little evidence the idea works. However...

...a small study with participants considered to be healthy and at a normal weight trialled eating 3 meals per day over 1 meal per day. Even though they could only have one meal, they did not reduce the quantity of food... they ate all of their daily needs in one sitting. The results show with one meal per day they lost weight... a significant amount of fat was lost compared with eating 3 meals per day.[1]

Not a True Fast

Regardless, this limited trial needs backing up. Plus, we know daily feeding restriction like the 8-hour diet can cause us problems. With that in mind, limiting your meals to one-a-day could send you over the edge. Although, being a warrior doesn't involve a true fast. As the author explains, the diet is a schedule of undereating and overeating - doesn't that go against everything we're told?

"...follow a nutritious meal program that your body does not consider as food."

During the day you minimise what you eat... small servings of fruit and veg and protein-rich foods if you need. Alternatively, Ori Hofmekler recommends a water fast. Then in the evening, you have a 4-hour sitting to eat all or the rest of your food. Also, unlike the other intermittent fasting structures, you have rules and guides and commandment to follow.

Above all, the regime is far more complex than simply fasting and eating pretty much what you want when your not fasting. Obviously, junk foods should be minimised and savoured when you choose to eat them. But with The Warrior Diet, the foods you really enjoy are likely to be nil by mouth. I'm not sure the possible benefits are worth the effort and study and potential drawbacks.

5 Day Mimic Fast

Day after day, week after week, you're sacrificing food. From the other schedules, no matter which one you choose there can be daily or weekly suffering just to lose some weight. It's hard. But what if there was a way to get all of the benefits; weight loss, increased lean body mass, improved biomarkers, longevity, and reduced risk of disease... in just 5 days.

Well, it might sound crazy, but it's scientifically proven. Prof Valter Longo, who helped develop the 5:2 diet, made a nutritional breakthrough and created The 5 Day Fasting Mimicking Diet. With clinical testing to back it up, this effective diet promotes longevity, overall health, and reduce excess fat in only five days.

It is very simple. You follow a nutritious meal program that your body does not consider as food. This keeps your body in the fasting cycle so that you benefit from the repairs. Plus, because you are not consuming energy-dense foods in large quantities you will lose weight too. Effectively, you'll be on a very low-calorie diet for five days a month and therefore, free to enjoy the rest. You can repeat this cycle every month or twice a year and still see the perks.

Tellingly, its design produces benefits similar to fasting but is said to be bearable and evades the issues of some fasting techniques. So, if you want to try the Fasting Mimicking style, ProLong offers a self-assessment and meal replacements. Other than that, the basic idea is to reduce your calorie intake to around 1000 kcal (10% protein, 56% fat, 34% carb) on the first day, then 725 kcal (9% protein, 44% fat, 47% carb) for the remaining days.

Warning: Intermittent fasting diets may cause adverse effects like headaches, short tempers, dizziness, obsessiveness, reduced performance and focus, heartburn, diarrhoea, brain-fog, low energy, hormone swings, sleep disorders, feeling cold and constipation in some people.  It is not recommended for diabetics, pregnant women or anyone with a history of eating disorders.